Do we need to rethink "best places to work" if they're not asking everyone for input?

Do we need to radically rethink accreditations like "best places to work", if increasing numbers of the workforce aren't employees, and never get asked?

In the creative sector, over 30% of roles are not employees, but freelancers, independent workers, contractors, and they're not generally not included in reports on things like workplace culture, wellbeing, pay gaps, or diversity measures.

So, the data is not representing the reality of the workplace experiences for a significant proportion of folk.

That's why we're doing two things in 2026 - for hirers who care about their entire workforce, and for freelancers to have better visibility on which businesses are working well with us.

freelance feedback - an impartial audit your network of freelancers, to see how they feel about working with you, identify any costly leaks in your pool, and improve your ways of working and reputation. we've already run a few of these, and it's already highlighting hugely valuable insights for those working with freelancers to make relationships better.

freelance friendly - our policy framework and roadmap to work towards supporting your freelancers to do their best work, whilst working with you. our data consistently shows productivity improvements where freelancers are supported to work well, and that means cost savings and better outcomes for hirers.

By starting with the businesses who want to do it right, we can celebrate and showcase what good looks like, so that others can learn what creates positive outcomes for both sides of the relationship.